In the back of her mind
by K' Korrane
Summary: A routine training session takes an unexpected turn, leading to two young women getting to know each other on a lot more than a personal level.


"Hinata! On your right!"

Swinging her body into her attack, the young Hyuga heiress deflected the punch that was thrown at her head, mere inches away and sending it crashing into the dirt beside her. The resulting dust cloud covered the majority of the immediate area, leaving the two young women almost blind as their attacker quickly regained her footing and pulled back.

"Damn, she knew what she was doing, stay sharp and keep an eye out for them."

Quickly taking up a tactical position, the young weapons expert of Konoha pressed her back up against her slightly shorter friend, twin kunai at the ready to protect her from whatever was coming next.

"They're circling, moving separate from each other. I can't pinpoint which is which."

Giving a nod in response, Tenten drew her stance closer, weapons held tightly to her chest and neck as she scanned the area around herself, looking for anything that could clue her into a target.

"Six O'clock!"

Hinata's warning was just in time, the brunette stepping to the side and quickly leaning to avoid a high kick, feeling the air against her face as the blur of a foot breezed past her head.

"Gotta love Byakugan." She smirked, glancing over her shoulder. "Lemmie know if there's an opening."

Her pale eyes watching the swirling dust, the veins in her temples pulsing as her kekkei genkai assisted her vision, Hinata kept a close watch on the fiery trails of their opponents' chakra.

"They're moving fast, if we can hold out for maybe a minute, we should be able to counter."

The following thirty seconds had the pair narrowly avoiding several near blows, which Hinata pointed out were always the same person.

"Which means, the other is..."

She frowned, her gaze locking on the second opponent who had lowered her posture, kneeling with her arms stretched out in front of her, pointed right at Tenten.

"Watch out! She's-"

As the dust began to settle, allowing the girls to get a good grip on their surroundings once more, Hinata's eyes widened at the realization that the girl positioned in Tenten's blind-spot was in fact, Sakura Haruno. A knowing smile on her lips as the sudden panic set into the Hyuga's expression, she had fallen for the trap. Her vision having been focused on what she thought was the real threat, she only had time to whip her head around and see the cocky smirk on the face of Ino Yamanaka, arms outstretched and already launching her signature ninjutsu.

"Mind transfer jutsu!"

Tenten span around to see her partner slump to the ground behind her, cursing under her breath, she decided to launch an attack of her own. Throwing herself at the pinkette who was rising to her feet, she readied her kunai and was about to take a swing, when the reaction time of the young medical ninja caught her off-guard.

"Crap! That's..."

She twisted awkwardly on the ball of her foot, wincing in pain but managing to practically fall out of the way as Sakura's own kunai flew past her, trailing a small pouch that tore open in midair, spraying a blizzard of tiny tags in the air. Rising to her feet, Hinata's eyes widened at the sudden cloud of paper approaching her, the formula on the tags activating and causing her to stumble backwards, dropping clumsily on her rear once more.

"Dammit." Sakura frowned, turning her attention back to the brunette rushing her again, starting to exchange blows in an attempt to disarm her opponent. "Now I gotta wait for her to wake up."

The pair fought back and forth, Sakura deftly avoiding the precise strikes of the weapons like she'd been taught so long ago, and Tenten managing to narrowly dodge the fierce blows being thrown at her. Neither girl was able to land a solid hit until the brunette's form stumbled back to avoid the fist of her former partner aimed at her head, the mind-controlled Hyuga staring her down as she assumed a combat stance that certainly wasn't the gentle fist.

"Alright, okay! I know when I'm beat, you two got this one."

Raising her hands into the air and dropping her weapons, Tenten resigned to her defeat with a disappointed smile. After a few moments of congratulatory handshakes and a cheerful fistbump between the victors, the girls sparring session ended and they began their walk back to the grassy patch where Ino's empty body remained, on her knees and slumped forward.

"Wanna get something to eat after this? My treat."

Hinata's controlled lips pulled into a smile as the pair walking with her nodded in appreciation, setting herself down in front of her lifeless form, Ino touched the pale right palm of her host against her forehead, gently brushing her soft blonde hair from her face as her left hand rose to form the sign and transfer her spirit back into her body.

A minute passed.

Then another.

"Is it, supposed to take this long?"

Sakura leaned over her friend's shoulder, peering at Hinata's face which was quickly becoming overwhelmed with panic.

"I... I can't go back. I can't get back to my body!" Her hands started shaking, her breathing became short and her eyes welled up. In a moment of desperation, she resorted to grabbing her own shoulders and starting to shake herself vigorously. "Let me back in! Please let me in!"

Her friends moved to try and calm her, each taking a gentle hold of Hinata's shoulders while the teen started to sob into her hands, unsure of what they could do to help they simply resorted to rubbing her back.

"Hey, easy there, Ino. There's gotta be a reason for it, maybe it's just a simple mistake."

Tenten reached to take one hand while Sakura held the other, each giving a reassuring squeeze.

"We could ask lady Tsunade, she might know what's going on."

Taking a moment to compose herself, Ino brought Hinata to her feet and assisted her two chuunin friends to carry her body back to the village, resolved to remain calm but her expression frozen with worry.

* * *

The anxious eyes of the teenage heiress flicked quickly across the features of the older woman in front of her. A hand rubbing at her chin, the Hokage of the leaf, Tsunade, examined Hinata's body carefully, occasionally prodding and tapping at various spots to check for reactions, when everything aside from Ino's consciousness being in control seemed to be normal, she simply gave an exasperated sigh.

"I've never seen a phenomenon like this before..." She stared curiously into the pale eyes that searched desperately for some kind of explanation. "And you have no idea what's causing it?"

"None at all, I've never had any issues getting back before."

Tsunade hummed in concentration, her brow knitted and her arms folded under her sizable chest.

"I don't know enough about the mind transfer technique to give an educated guess, is there anything you know of that might cause a problem, Ino?"

Three heads turned to look at the hunched over form sitting on the hospital bed, Hinata's long hair obscuring her face as she appeared to be staring at her own feet.

"Ino?"

No response.

"C'mon, Ino. Quit fooling around." Sakura lightly swatted at her shoulder, causing the teen to jump in her seat.

"W-what? What's going on? How did I get here?"

Hinata's unmistakably nervous disposition and skittish movements, caused Sakura and Tenten to glance at each other in confusion, Tsunade however adopted a look of curiosity, watching the girl as she seemed to return to her senses.

"Hinata?" The concerned brunette reached for the timid girl's shoulder, flinching when she gave a surprised squeak and pulled away. "Hinata, it's alright, you're in the hospital. Are you feeling okay?"

"The hospital? I.. I don't remember coming here, did I faint during training again?"

The faint blush on her cheeks betrayed her embarrassment at the thought, turning to her friends who began voicing their concerns. Across the room however, the Hokage had made her way to the second bed set up nearby the window, where the still form of the usually loudmouthed blonde lay.

"-Ino said it was too warm, so she took it off. To be honest, I never have figured out how you can wear that thing during the summer."

Sakura gave a reassuring smile to the blushing girl, who reached for her usual lavender jacket, pulling it on to relieve herself of the feeling of being exposed with just her net shirt.

"You two gave us a scare there, we were worried she might not be able to get herself back."

"She isn't back." The proclamation from the other bed caused all three girls to jump slightly, turning to look at Tsunade, who had her palm rested gently against the blonde's forehead, her eyes still closed and her expression nonexistent. "Whatever made Hinata come back, it hasn't sent Ino back to her body."

"You mean, she might be lost?" Sakura felt a painful twist in her chest, as much as she bickered and even straight up fought with her friend sometimes, they were still just that. Friends. "There's.. no way to get her back?"

_"Damn it's hot, did I put that stuffy jacket on again?"_

The loud yelp that suddenly escaped Hinata's lips pulled everyone's attention to her, faces of shock, even on the Hokage's features, the heiress' own face turning a deep shade of red as she covered her mouth with both hands.

"I-I... I heard, a voice..."

Her friends exchanged a look, both raising an eyebrow while their leader stepped forward, seemingly intrigued by the sudden outburst.

"Whose voice?"

Hinata's eyes widened at the realization of what was being asked.

"It was Ino's, I heard Ino speaking."

_"Wait, I'm not talking here.. Am, I not in control anymore?"_

Pale eyes closed tightly as a frightened whimper slipped free, the shy girl's hands moving to hold either side of her shaking head.

"She's... She's in my head, I can hear her in my mind."

Tsunade closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples, clearly deep in thought while the concerned girls either side of the trembling young woman seemed lost, only able to try and calm her down with gentle touches and reassuring words.

"Alright, you three." Hinata lifted her head to face the Hokage, eyes glistening with building tears and shaky breaths. "I need to know exactly what happened before this started, every detail you can give me."

Around ten minutes later, Hinata had calmed herself enough to speak about what she'd experienced on the training field, along with the additional details from her sparring partners. When the full story had been told to the best of the trio's recollection, Tsunade took a few moments to think, her fingertip tapping idly against her cherry coloured lips while she allowed the details to sink in. After a spell of silence, the woman's eyes opened and she took a breath, her gaze focused on the trembling girl who still occasionally uttered the occasional sound of surprise when it seemed Ino was speaking in her head.

"From what little I know of the technique, disturbances of the senses and spirit can throw off the balance of the mind transference. If I'm considering the situation correctly, then it's possible, Sakura, that the genjutsu you cast while the technique was in effect, may have disrupted the flow of chakra used to maintain it. This disturbance could potentially make it impossible for Ino to separate herself from Hinata's spirit."

"I.. I hadn't even considered that..." The pinkette's expression dropped, her eyes staring solemnly at her best friend's lifeless form across the room. "My mistake means that she can't come back?"

The Hokage simply gave a warm smile.

"I didn't say that, Sakura. Like any genjutsu the effects should be temporary, the only difference here is that there are two flows of chakra in a state of disarray in one body. Chances are it may take a while for their chakra to return to normal."

_"How long am I gonna be stuck in here?"_

"H-how long, is it likely to take, lady Tsunade?"

The woman shook her head.

"I'm afraid I can't really say Hinata, I've never seen or heard anything like this before. Usually the effects of a genjutsu will last a few hours, more if it's a powerful technique cast by a skilled shinobi. But these effects are unheard of before now."

The dull sigh from the heiress was accompanied by a slow nod, her hands pushing through her hair as she let the severity of the situation sink in.

_"It could be worse, we could be stuck like this forever."_

"That's true..."

She gave a sad smile, her eyes focused on her hands as they lay against her lap, seemingly lost in thought from the outside.

"Lady Tsunade, is there nothing we can do to help?" Sakura piped up with concern in her voice. "This is mostly my fault, I feel like I need to do something."

"What do you mean mostly your fault?" Three sets of eyes locked onto the stern pale orbs that stared Sakura down, a heavy frown twisting the usually peaceful features of Hinata's face. "If you hadn't tried to show off back there I wouldn't be in this mess, Forehead."

"I-Ino? When did you? Where's Hinata?"

It seemed like the possessed Hyuga was about to throw a punch at her friend when the raised hand of the Hokage stopped her in her place, the woman in question rubbing her chin once more as she watched the girl with interest.

"It's fascinating, you two are quite literally two minds sharing one body." She smiled pleasantly, standing to place her hands upon the girl's shoulders. "I want you to try and switch again, see if you can do it on command."

_"This feels strange, Ino..."_

Hinata closed her eyes, taking a moment where she seemed to be concentrating. The room fell silent as all eyes fell upon her.

_"All yours, Hinata, sorry I kinda lost my temper."_

"It's alright, I cannot say I'm feeling good about this either."

Her eyes fluttered open, staring up at the warm expression of the woman standing over her.

"Excellent, Hinata. If you can communicate with each other, you two should be just fine until you can separate."

A faint smile crossed Hinata's lips, the other two girls almost awestruck with the level of control the combined minds had already seemed to gain over such an unbelievable condition.

_"Hinata, can I just take the reigns for a sec?"_

The girl turned her head to face the pinkette sitting nearby, her troubled expression sliding into an unpleasant smirk.

"You're gonna pay me back for this, Sakura." The shocked look on the pinkette's face at the sudden turn, was almost enough to satisfy Ino. But she knew what she wanted and she wasn't going to let her friend off the hook. "You're gonna look after me."

"Look after you? I'm more than willing to do what I can here, but I'm not waiting hand and foot on you, Ino-pig."

The ugly scowl that Sakura shot back was met with the timid eyes that Hinata was known for, her face softening to a point where she seemed ready to cry.

"Oh crap. Hinata, I'm sorry, that wasn't aimed at you I swear."

Her concern was short-lived, as the hearty cackle Ino gave through her host was enough to cause Sakura to rise to her feet, fists balled and ready to slam her irritating best friend through a wall.

"Woah woah, easy there, Sakura." Pale hands halted the pinkette in her tracks, cursing under her breath at her unwillingness to actually attack the kindhearted girl that Ino was inhabiting. "I don't mean anything like that, I want you to take care of my body till I can get back to it."

The slender fingertip of Hinata's hand gestured towards the motionless Ino on the bed, her face still pulled into a sly smile as she made her demand.

"You can't be serious, what makes you think I can do that? Leave it here at the hospital, or take it home."

"My mom is out of town, so the house is empty. And I don't want to be stuck here for god knows how long, I'd rather be somewhere I know I'm gonna get properly looked after."

"The staff here are perfectly capable of keeping your body safe." Tsunade stood with her arms folded, frowning slightly, but seemingly interested in how the situation would play out.

"What about my place?" Tenten added from nearby, an awkward smile on her face. "It's just me there, and I'd be happy to help out. After all, I was there too."

Hinata's head shook slowly, giving the brunette a small smile.

"Thanks for the offer, but aside from the fact that she basically caused this." She shot Sakura a smirk, to which she received the threat of a raised fist and a foul look. "I've known Sakura since we were kids, there's nobody else I'd trust more for this than her."

It took a few moments of awkward silence and exchanges of genuine smiles, before Sakura gave up, a heavy sigh leaving her lips as she nodded.

"Fine, I'll do it. I'll haul your dumb-ass around so it doesn't get stiff."

The two shot dirty looks, followed by playful giggles. As much as they got on each other's nerves, it could never be denied that they cared for each other.

"Then it's settled, I'll go wherever Hinata goes, and you keep my body nice and cozy at your place. Hope you remember that I only wear silk at night, Forehead."

She gave a wide grin as Sakura began to yell her protest, which quickly became a torrent of apologies when it became apparent that Ino had retreated to let Hinata deal with the aftermath of her bargaining.


End file.
